[Canyon] Will spray disposal of sewage be an improvement to Bridger Canyon?
Tom Fiddaman
Dear neighbors,
The following summarizes research by BCPOA’s zoning committee into the proposed replacement sewer system for the Bridger Pines subdivision in the Bridger Bowl Base Area. Monday is the last day of the comment period for the Environmental Assessment on the system.
The current situation, with Bridger Pines’ existing system leaking into ground and surface waters at 8 times the legal rate, is a yet another example of the poor consequences of planning for density in excess of physical resources, forgiveness for building violations, and weak oversight.
The proposed solution, a 4-acre storage pond area, trucking of sludge, and seasonal disposal of wastewater by spray irrigation on a 7-acre field at the base of the Bridger Bowl parking lot, is expected to bring the system into compliance. It has some technical advantages, e.g. reduction of nitrate deposition into groundwater. But it is not without risk, including failure of the pipeline or 2.8 million gallon storage pond, nor without aesthetic and possibly health consequences from odors and aerosols.
No one wants the current rate of pollution to continue. But the proposed solution socializes the costs of past private mistakes, by imposing environmental risks on downstream neighbors and meeting much of the $3,000,000 system cost with grants and low-interest loans, and increases the environmental burden by facilitating the buildout of additional lots and condos.
As a board, we have struggled to find the silver lining in this, or to identify a better solution. We welcome your comment (just reply to this email, and I’ll share it with the BCPOA board), and encourage you to read the public documents and comment on the Environmental Assessment, as this may be the only real checkpoint for public input.
As always, this note will be echoed to the Bridger Canyon forum for archiving and open discussion,
http://groups.google.com/group/bridger-canyon-forum/topics?pli=1
Tom Fiddaman
BCPOA Chair
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The Bridger Pines County Water and Sewer District’s (BPCWSD) application to the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for a new wastewater treatment facility is in the final phases of approval. An Amended Environmental Assessment was issued October 14, 2011 by the DEQ. Comments from the public, received by November 14, 2011, will be reviewed and considered by the DEQ before granting finial approval.
The new facility, the estimated cost just shy of 3 Million Dollars, is being financed almost completely with tax-payer dollars. BPSWD (comprised of approximately 30 property owners) will put up approximately $32,000. The balance of the project will be funded from a combination of non-repayable grants and low interest loans from the DNRC, the State Revolving Fund (SRF) and the Treasury State Endowment Program (TSEP). The sewer district rated least deserving of TSEP funding out of 65 applications however, because Montana allocated Federal Stimulus dollars to the program declaring the projects “shovel ready”, funding was available to all 2009 TSEP applicants.
A new 4.3 acre lagoon and spray irrigation field is slated to be located outside the sewer and water district boundaries on a newly created 13.88 acre parcel of land below the Bridger Bowl parking lot on the bench above Bridger Creek, about a quarter mile south of the homes it will be servicing. The new parcel, currently owned by Bridger Canyon Partners, LLC, is expected to be purchased by BPCSWD for $900,000.00. This is the same piece of land Bridger Canyon Partners, LLC identified as the location of the wastewater treatment facility in their proposed base area development plan application. The creation of the parcel, disallowed under Bridger Canyon Zoning Regulations, is enabled by Montana State Law exempting sewer and water districts from zoning regulations.
The new treatment system proposes to pipe sewage from Bridger Pines across or under Maynard Creek, under the Bridger Bowl access road to deposit the sewage in the new location of the storage lagoon and spray irrigation field. The partially treated sewage will be stored in the new clay-bentonite lined lagoon over the winter months. During the summer months, the effluent will be sprayed over the remaining 7acres that will be put into hay production. The proposed system design is similar to the existing system servicing 20 units, except that the holding cell (lagoon) is sized for 58 dwelling units at 71 gpd per unit rather than 80 gpd per unit, its holding capacity to be 2.8 million gallons instead of 1million gallons; the new lagoon will not be aerated and the effluent will be disinfected as it is sprayed onto the new hay field rather than trucked to an off-site location. The lagoon and hay field will be fenced to protect persons and wildlife from entering the area.
The development of Bridger Pines has a long troubled history spanning over 40 years. The steep terrain, soil conditions and abundance of surface water suggested a limited capacity of the land to support the developer’s proposed density of 30 single family home sites and 28 condominiums units on 30 acres in the Bridger Bowl Base Area. The City-County Planning Board concerned about water availability and sewage disposal approved the Bridger Pines Subdivision contingent on a “favorable” review from the Department of Health and Environmental Sciences (DHES), the State Agency responsible for the oversight of these types of activities at the time, August 10, 1971. The approval granted just shortly after the Bridger Canyon Zoning District was formalized and its General Development Plan adopted.
Obtaining the necessary DHES approval proved difficult. The Developer’s submittals for sewage disposal were continuously rejected by the DHES for numerous and varied reasons. The DHES held to the opinion a permanent community wastewater disposal system needed to be planned for the entire [base] area given the high density anticipated by the newly formed zoning district. DHES stood by its opinion individual or multi-user interim or temporary systems were not appropriate for the area and denied developer’s proposals in March 1973. Removal of a few sanitary restrictions would not come until 1974 after a Land Use Permit for 10 condominium units was approved, on advice of the county attorney, by the Planning Department and an extensive EIS initiated for a proposed permanent sewage disposal system for the entire area. Before the draft EIS is completed the City-County Environmental Health Department and the DHES learn construction has begun on 10 condominiums units; this is in violation of Montana State Law and both agencies request legal action by the county attorney. The county attorney declines any action unless occupancy of the units is attempted. A finial EIS is presented for a scaled down, temporary sewage disposal system proposed for 20 homes and 10 condominiums. Despite extensive opposition, the DHES approves the revised proposal albeit with specific conditions and determines the water capacity is such that 5 condominiums are granted removal of sanitary restrictions. Its determined the construction of the sewage disposal system is not in compliance with the authorized plans and specifications, the liner of the lagoon is bentonite rather than the specified plastic liner required to permit zero seepage from the lagoon. Both the Developer and the DHES request hearings for a determination. The developer wins out and the plans and specifications are amended to meet the actual construction.
Removal of additional sanitary restrictions, limited to 10 homes and 10 condominium units, is granted in 1977 as a result of improvements to the water supply system. But frequent system failures and infarctions, including failure to de-water the lagoon by truck transport off-site, frequent lagoon overflows, lagoon seepage into g round water, and poor system maintenance continue and no further construction is allowed until the issues are resolved.
That brings us to today and an opportunity to participate in the decision making process by commenting on the Amended Environmental Assessment. The question is, will the new system resolve the problem and improve the health of Bridger Canyon and the water quality or will it be more detrimental. The final decision will have significant consequences not only for the property owners of Bridger Pines but for, neighboring land owners, the potential for future development of the base area, and our community as a whole, particularly down steam water users.
An extensive detailed history of the Bridger Pines Subdivision, the Environmental Assessments as well as may of the supporting documents are available online at http://bcpoadocs.posterous.com/. While not totally complete, some records proved to be difficult to obtain, it is a comprehensive, objective as I could make it, overview of the development derived from documents primarily obtained from the Gallatin County Planning Dept. and the Gallatin County-City Environmental Health Department which are available for public review. I realize it is late, but I strongly encourage you to carve out a few hours over today and tomorrow to review the history and the EAs in order to understand the circumstances surrounding this issue, and forward your comments to the DEQ, helping to provide the best possible outcome for all concerned. Comments may be delivered no later than November 14, 2011, to:
Jerry Paddock, P.E. or jpad...@mt.gov
Department of Environmental Quality
1500 East Sixth Avenue
Helena MT 59620-09011
Reference: Project – Bridger Pines WWT System Upgrade
Bozeman Mt
Project # WPCSRF project # C303192
DOC_TSEP Project # MT-TSEP-CG-10-472
Please feel free to contact me by e-mail debs...@littleappletech.com or phone 522-7215 with any questions you may have.
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Respectfully,
Deb Stratford,
BCPOA Board member,
Chairman BCPOA Planning and Zoning Subcommittee